Financial TimesPalestinian kills 3 Israelis outside West Bank settlementABC NewsIsraeli police blocks the road to Har Adar settlement near Jerusalem, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017. Israeli police said that a Palestinian attacker opened fire at the entrance to the settlement killing three Israeli men and critically wounding a fourth.Palestinian gunman kills three I […]

ForbesItalian Bike Race's Move To Israel Throws Up Questions For Arab Teams And Potential For DétenteForbesOne of the world's most prestigious bike races, the Giro d'Italia, will visit Israel as part of its schedule next year, throwing up a potentially thorny problem for two of the teams that will be expected to take part and which are sponsor […]

HaaretzTurkey's Erdogan threatens to halt renewed Israel ties over backing for Kurdish stateJewish Telegraphic Agency“If Israel does not reconsider its support for Kurdish independence, Turkey will not be able to take many steps we would have with Israel, too,” Erdogan said Tuesday, the day after a nonbinding referendum by Iraqi Kurdistan on whether to […]

National PostBarbara Kay: Boycott Roger Waters, rock legend and rabid Israel haterNational PostIn 2013 lead Animals singer Eric Burdon cancelled an appearance in Israel, intimidated by the relentless anti-Israel “pro-peace” zealots of the Boycott/Divestment/Sanctions (BDS) campaign. Other celebrities who have caved to threats of shunning and ...and more » […]

Page SixDon't mention Israel to Greta GerwigPage SixAs Greta Gerwig gathers Oscar buzz for her directorial debut, “Lady Bird,” journalists are being told not to ask the actress about her recent opposition to Lincoln Center's performances of a play co-produced by two Israeli theater companies and backed ...

HaaretzIsrael Refuses to Stop Arms Sales to Myanmar, Despite Its Campaign of Rape, Torture and Massacres Against the ...HaaretzResponding on Monday to a petition in the High Court of Justice from human-rights activists demanding an end to the arms sales, Shosh Shmueli, representing the state, said the court should not interfere in Israel's foreign relat […]

Jewish Telegraphic AgencyConan and 'Transparent' give Israel the normalcy it cravesJewish Telegraphic AgencyYet both shows appeared to have emerged from an earlier, less complicated era when Israel was largely seen as a regional good guy and the Palestinians as an uncomfortable but ultimately solvable nuisance if only haters on both sides would let […]

The Electronic Intifada (blog)Germany's new Nazis see Israel as role modelThe Electronic Intifada (blog)While Germany needs no lessons in how to be racist, this catastrophe can in part be attributed to leaders in Israel and their fanatical supporters: for years they have made common cause with Europe's far right, demonizing Muslims as alien invader […]

The Times of IsraelIsraeli tech helps Mexican rescuers locate quake victimsThe Times of IsraelRadio-wave technology developed by Israeli firm Camero-Tech that can “see” through solid walls is helping rescue workers in Mexico search through rubble for buried victims, Amir Beeri, the CEO of the firm, said. “We got reports from our representative ...

When New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo arrived in a Maria-devastated Puerto Rico Friday, he brought with him a half-dozen electrical generators – coveted assistance for an island that officials estimate could be without power for months. If New York’s governor saw fit to demonstrate solidarity with Puerto Rico, it is because of the sizable and well-established Puer […]

After a hurricane, earthquake, or a terrorist attack, artists and performers are usually not first responders. A good example was Telemundo’s four-hour telethon on Sept. 24 that brought out stars such as Jennifer Lopez on behalf of the victims of hurricanes Maria, Harvey, Irma, as well as the Mexican earthquakes. “The healing power of the arts is a real thin […]

For two days after Mexico’s 7.1 earthquake toppled scores of buildings, killing what’s now believed to be nearly 300 people, the country was captivated by the story of Frida Sofía, a 12-year-old on the brink of a miraculous rescue. Frida Sofía didn’t exist. Recommended: How much do you know about Mexico?

In a bright and boxy photo studio in South Sudan’s capital, an industrial printer is spitting out a glossy stack of exotic vacation snapshots. Recommended: Think you know Africa? “Couches, grand pianos, far away houses – these are the things people most like to have the backgrounds in their pictures,” says Tsedeke Abebaw, the owner of On Time Photo Studios i […]

We all heard Donald Trump brag about committing sexual assault. It was shocking to hear, and upsetting to nearly everyone. Trump wants us to believe that it was locker room banter: just men talking the way men talk! In other words, it was harmless. But Donald Trump is wrong. The words he spoke were not […] The post What It Feels Like to Be A Survivor of Sex […]

Judging by the number of articles, words per article, comments per article, and pure passion, one could reasonably conclude that the war of words being waged against Open Orthodoxy is of major public interest and concern. I am certain that many people are extremely invested in how this all plays out on the pages of […] The post Why the War of Words About Ope […]

Presenting another episode of Finkorswim Live on the Stunt Show. Today’s show featured two topics. Understanding both sides of the Orthodox women rabbis issue and Elad Nehorai joined us to talk about Hevria and Hevria Academy. The show aired at 1 PM ET today on NachumSegal.com and the NSN App. The show has been archived and is available as a podcast on […] T […]

About a year ago, I launched a series of Torah classes that has taken me on an inspiring journey. The chief complaint of the mostly Millennial group who asked me to teach this class, was that they were fluent in the basics of Judaism, they knew the curated version of its meaning that they learned in school, they wanted […] The post My Course on Non-Conformis […]

This article first appeared on Haaretz.com. It is reproduced here with permission. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are the starting block and finish line of our yearlong journey. The High Holidays offer us time to reflect, repent, and redo. We are seeking a chance to start over, aspiring to a better life. As we start […] The post Why Jews Should Look to Germany […]

The High Holidays are upon us. For the last 7 years, I have been in Venice for the High Holidays. I will certainly miss that experience this year. A few people asked me if I would be leading a High Holidays service this year. I would love to lead a High Holidays service this year. […] The post Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur Services appeared first on Finkorswi […]

Orthodox Judaism emphasizes Talmud study. Some people love the analysis and debate format of the Talmud but other people prefer studying the final decisions of the Talmud. They don’t enjoy the argument and discussion in the Talmud, and they most certainly do not love the layer upon layer of subsequent debate about the arguments in […] The post Why Can’t We A […]

This article first appeared in the Jewish Journal. The Jewish family is in a constant state of mourning. Most of the time, we push our mourning to the back of our collective consciousness and carry on our daily lives as if we’ve suffered no loss. Once a year, though, we allow the misery and pain […] The post Who Will Comfort Us? appeared first on Finkorswim. […]

The Pew Research Center released their recent study, and the results paint a bleak picture of our religious future in America. It is clear: God’s poll numbers are down across the board, and especially among Millennials. Immediately, frantic media headlines prophesied the end of religion as we know it. Is this fate? Are we destined to live […] The post Religi […]

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Section Jewish History , 24JEWISH ALERTS large selection in each section

Bernard Hiller interviews Alice Somer Herz who was an inmate of the The Terezin concentration camp. She was a very accomplished pianist who played Chopin’s 24 etudes from memory. She lost her parents and and her husband during the war. Her son who, because a successful musician (who died 2001), survived the camp with her as well.
She believes that being “optimistic” is the most important quality to achieve a happy life. She currently lives in London and is the oldest Holocaust survivor.

When Canada Said No: The Abandoned Jews of the MS St. Louis

In May 1939, the oceanliner MS St. Louis departed Hamburg, Germany carrying Jewish refugees desperate to flee Nazi Germany.
They tried to escape any way they could.
But the world did not want them.
This is their story.

▶ ▶ ▶ Holocaust Task Force

Spiritgrow’s Shavuot Mini Series Part 1: The history of the festival

Spiritgrow’s Shavuot Mini Series Part 2: The Spiritual Message of Shavuot

Spiritgrow’s Shavuot Mini Series Part 3: The Customs & Traditions

Prof. Israel Knohl: On Shavuot We Live on Two Levels – Nature and History

Prof. Israel Knohl, senior research fellow at Shalom Hartman Institute, discusses the way the nature holiday of Shavuot was blended to the giving of Torah at Mt. Sinai in this May 2012 (5772) interview with Israel Broadcasting Authority in Jerusalem.

Historical Rare Video of Miron – Lag Ba’Omer 1940

07.05.2015

2009-08-07 History, Music & Memory:Victor Ullman – רביעיה של אולמן

History, Music and Memory 2009 Seminar of Beit Terezin. The concert was played at Beit Wohlin, Givataim, Israel with the Yad Vashem sponsorship

This Week in Jewish History …by Dr. Henry Abramson

Full Recording – Israeli Declaration of Independence

Israeli Declaration of Independence as read by David Ben Gurion in Tel Aviv
The following day, the 1948 war started with all neighboring arab countries
sending thier armies to stop the foundation of a Jewish State

USC Shoah Foundation i

USC Shoah Foundation is dedicated to making audio-visual interviews with survivors and witnesses of the Holocaust and other genocides a compelling voice for education and action.
The Institute currently has over 53,000 testimonies recorded in 39 languages in 61 countries that allow us to see the faces and hear the voices of those who witnessed history, allowing them to teach and inspire action against intolerance

Days of Remembrance: The Power of Music

Celebration of the state Israel – London, 1949 – Hatikva, Hora

Jews of London celebrate the foundation of the state Israel and sing the Hatikva and dance the Hora, 1949.

MACHAL – Volunteers from the Diaspora in 1948

Israel National News TV Archives: MACHAL, Volunteer Fighters from the Diaspora played a major role in Israel’s success in the 1948 War of Independence. MACHAL pilot, Smoky Simon and Former Israeli President Ezer Weitzman, who was the Israel Air Force’s founding commander, discuss the important role MACHAL played in 1948 and beyond..

Golda Meir Interview on Arab-Israeli Relations and Terrorism (1973)

Golda Meir (Hebrew: גּוֹלְדָּה מֵאִיר‎‎; earlier Golda Meyerson, born Golda Mabovich (Голда Мабович); May 3, 1898 — December 8, 1978) was a teacher, kibbutznik and politician who became the fourth Prime Minister of the State of Israel.

Meir was elected Prime Minister of Israel on March 17, 1969, after serving as Minister of Labour and Foreign Minister. Israel’s first and the world’s third woman to hold such an office, she was described as the “Iron Lady” of Israeli politics years before the epithet became associated with British prime minister Margaret Thatcher. Former prime minister David Ben-Gurion used to call Meir “the best man in the government”; she was often portrayed as the “strong-willed, straight-talking, grey-bunned grandmother of the Jewish people.”

In 1974, after the conclusion of the Yom Kippur War, Meir resigned as prime minister. She died in 1978.

After Levi Eshkol’s sudden death on February 26, 1969, the party elected Meir as his successor. Meir came out of retirement to take office on March 17, 1969, serving as prime minister until 1974. Meir maintained the coalition government formed in 1967, after the Six-Day War, in which Mapai merged with two other parties (Rafi and Ahdut HaAvoda) to form the Israel Labour party.

In 1969 and the early 1970s, Meir met with many world leaders to promote her vision of peace in the Middle East, including Richard Nixon (1969), Nicolae Ceausescu (1972) and Pope Paul VI (1973). In 1973, she hosted the chancellor of West Germany, Willy Brandt in Israel.

In August 1970, Meir accepted a U.S. peace initiative that called for an end to the War of Attrition and an Israeli pledge to withdraw to “secure and recognized boundaries” in the framework of a comprehensive peace settlement. The Gahal party quit the national unity government in protest, but Meir continued to lead the remaining coalition.

In the wake of the Munich massacre at the 1972 Summer Olympics, Meir appealed to the world to “save our citizens and condemn the unspeakable criminal acts committed.” Outraged at the perceived lack of global action, she ordered the Mossad to hunt down and assassinate the Black September and PFLP operatives who took part in the massacre. The 1986 TV film Sword of Gideon, based on the book Vengeance: The True Story of an Israeli Counter-Terrorist Team by George Jonas, and Steven Spielberg’s movie Munich (2005) were based on these events.

During the 1970s some Russian-Jewish emigrants were allowed to leave the Soviet Union for Israel by way of Austria. When seven of these emigrants were taken hostage at the Austria-Czechoslovakian border by Palestinian Arab fighters in September 1973, Austrian Chancellor Bruno Kreisky closed the Jewish Agency’s transit facility in Schönau, Lower Austria. A few days later in Vienna, Meir tried to convince Kreisky to re-open the facility by appealing to his own Jewish origin, and described his position as “succumbing to terrorist blackmail”. Kreisky did not change his position, so Meir returned to Israel infuriated. A few months later Austria opened a new transition camp.

Meir’s story has been the subject of many fictionalized portrayals. In 1977, Anne Bancroft played Meir in William Gibson’s Broadway play Golda. The Australian actress Judy Davis played a young Meir in the television film A Woman Called Golda (1982), opposite Leonard Nimoy. Ingrid Bergman played the older Golda in the same film. In 2003, the American Jewish actress Tovah Feldshuh portrayed her on Broadway in Golda’s Balcony, Gibson’s second play about Meir’s life. The one-woman show was controversial in its implication that Meir considered using nuclear weapons during the Yom Kippur War.

Valerie Harper portrayed her in the touring company and in the film version of Golda’s Balcony. Supporting actress Colleen Dewhurst portrayed her in the 1986 TV-movie Sword of Gideon. In 2005, actress Lynn Cohen portrayed Meir in Steven Spielberg’s film Munich. Later on, Tovah Feldshuh assumed her role once again in the 2006 English-speaking French movie O Jerusalem. She was played by the Polish actress Beata Fudalej in the 2009 film The Hope by Márta Mészáros.

Golda Meir and the Foundations of Israel Dr. Henry Abramson Jewish History Lecture

A presentation of the life of Golda Meir (1898-1978), spanning her immigration to Israel in 1921 through the end of her term as the fourth Prime Minister of Israel in 1974. The lecture will discuss the foundations of the Yishuv, the pre-state Jewish community, and touch on the major social and military conflicts that Israel endured during the first three decades of its existence. The lecture was held at Young Israel of Bal Harbour.

By Air, Land, and Sea: Aliyah under the British Mandate

19.04.2015
Toldot Yisrael (http://www.toldotyisrael.org) presents the dramatic stories of Jews from Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Iraq who overcame great obstacles in their efforts to reach the Land of Israel. For 2,000 years, Jews around the world dreamed about returning to the Land of Israel. But the rise of antisemitism in the 1930s and 40s made the need to return to Israel far more urgent. Jews fled their homes in Europe and Arab Lands seeking refuge in Palestine but found the British Mandate had all but closed the doors to aliyah, forcing them to find dangerous and illegal methods to immigrate – by air, land, and sea.

This movie is the fifth episode in the “Eyewitness 1948” short film series produced by Toldot Yisrael. It is the centerpiece of an educational pilot program made possible through the generous support of the Jim Joseph Foundation, the Alexander Family, and others.

Eyewitness 1948

Toldot Yisrael (http://www.toldotyisrael.org) presents the story of six Jewish heroes who defiantly blew the shofar at the Kotel (Western Wall) over sixty years ago, when it was illegal to do so in British Mandatory Palestine. The British passed a law in 1930 forbidding Jews to blow the shofar at the Kotel, pray loudly there, or bring Torah scrolls, so as not to offend the Arab population.

Despite this restriction, for the next seventeen years, the shofar was sounded at the Kotel every Yom Kippur. Shofars were smuggled in to the Kotel where brave teenagers defiantly blew them at the conclusion of the fast. Some managed to get away – others were captured and sent to jail for up to six months.

Six of these men are still alive.

Two weeks ago, these six men returned to the scene of their “crime”. Armed with shofars, they recounted their individual stories and blew shofar again at the Kotel.

Echoes of a Shofar is the premiere episode in the “Eyewitness 1948” short film series produced by Toldot Yisrael and the History Channel. It is the centerpiece of an educational pilot program developed with The iCenter and made possible through the generous support of the Jim Joseph Foundation and others.

The Founders: The Story of the 1948 Generation

“תולדות ישראל” בחדשות

יום עיון תיעוד בעל פה – תולדות ישראל 2014

המייסדים: סיפורו של דור תש”ח

Yom HaShoah through Photographs and Songs

While listening to songs heard throughout Israel during Yom HaShoah, witness photographs of brave men and women who were lost to us during the Holocaust. We will never forget.

shoah images

Israel: Birth of a State

Israel: Birth of a State

This segment of the landmark documentary, The Jewish Americans tells the story of the establishment of the Jewish State and American Jewish efforts to make a homeland in Israel a reality.
After World War II, the British found themselves in an increasingly precarious position in Palestine. World opinion favored the establishment of a Jewish state, or at least a sanctuary for the Jewish refugees from the Holocaust, in Palestine. Arab nationalists demanded a cessation of Jewish immigration to the region. Britain tried desperately, and ultimately unsuccessfully, to maintain control of this strategically important territory. In February 1947,Britain announced its intention to cede control of Palestine to the United Nations. The United Nations, in November 1947, passed a plan to partition Palestine into an Arab state and a Jewish state. The partition plan directed Britain to quit Palestine by August 1948.
The plan was accepted by the Jews, rejected by the Arabs, and met with skepticism by the British. From November 1947 until their ultimate departure from the region in May 1948, Britain did little to prepare either party for independence as the British were convinced that no Jewish state could possible endure in the face of Arab armed forces that had pledged to attack upon the declaration of a Jewish state. Meanwhile, the Jews moved ahead with plans for statehood, establishing a provisional government under the leadership of David Ben Gurion in March 1948. On May 14, 1948 while Egyptian fighter-bombers flew overhead and the last remaining British troops prepared to depart, Ben Gurion and his cabinet gathered at the Tel Aviv Museum where they proclaimed the independence of the state of Israel.
One day after the state was declared, the armies of Egypt, Transjordan, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon invaded Israel and the War of Independence began. Israel emerged victorious, but not without great cost. Thousands of Israeli and Arab soldiers died and approximately 600,000 Palestinians fled their homes, thus creating a refugee problem that continues to trouble the region to this day

Israel: The Birth of a Nation ( ישראל לידתה של אומה )

Israel: Birth of a Nation documentary shows true history of Israel’s legitimate establishment

Israel: Birth of a Nation is a History Channel documentary presented by acclaimed British historian, Sir Martin Gilbert. The documentary chronicles the events of the Israeli War of Independence (1948-1949) using archive film, photographs, and interviews with participants.
On May 15, one day after the creation of the State of Israel, the Arab armies of Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon invaded the new Jewish state. The Arab forces were significantly larger than Israel’s and were better equipped. Yet, coordination and organization were lacking and the Arab armies were often at odds with each other, seeking to incorporate territory from Palestine into their own states.

Despite their small numbers, the Jews were well-organized, well-disciplined and well-trained. The war was marked by long periods of fighting and temporary cease-fires. Finally, fighting officially ended in January 1949, at which time Israel held the 5,600 square miles allotted to it by the UN partition plan plus an addition 2,500 square miles. Trans-Jordan held the eastern sector of Jerusalem and the West Bank and Egypt held the Gaza Strip. From January to July 1949, armistice agreements were signed with Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria based on the frontlines as they were at the end of the fighting. These lines created the borders of the new state and as a result, Israel gained control of the areas which would have been part of the Arab state envisioned by the UN had the Arab world not gone to war with Israel.
At the time, Israel hoped that the armistice agreements would lead to official Arab-Israeli peace treaties. The Arab states, however, refused to recognize Israel’s existence and negotiate peace and remained in a state of war with the Jewish state. They continued their economic, political, social and cultural boycott of the Jewish state which was instituted by the Arab League in 1945. The Arab economic boycott of Israel prohibited Arab peoples, companies and states from conducting business both with Israel and with other companies who do business with Israel. They also embarked on a campaign to isolate the Jewish state in the international community.
Some Arab leaders attempted secret negotiations with Israel. Tragically, some of them were murdered, including King Abdullah of Jordan who was assassinated in Jerusalem in 1951. The Arab states provided little help to Palestinians who became refugees after the war. Only Jordan offered Palestinian Arabs citizenship. Refugee camps were set up and maintained primarily by the United Nations and other international relief organizations.

Yom Hashoah, Remembering the Holocaust

From 1933-1945, the Nazis murdered 11 million people. On Yom Hashoah, the Day of Remembrance, we light a candle for those who lost their lives.

The Future of Judaism with Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

(Visit: http://www.uctv.tv/) For Jews and for Judaism the twentieth century brought unprecedented suffering and incredible achievements — but as a new century gets going, their role in the future is up for grabs. Jonathan Sacks, Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregation of the Commonwealth, refutes the arguments for isolationism and the self-sufficiency of “people that dwell alone” that have proven so tempting through history, instead making the case that Jews and Judaism must renew their sense of hope and purpose to engage positively with the developing global culture. Series: “Herman P. and Sophia Taubman Endowed Symposia in Jewish Studies” [2/2013] [Humanities] [Show ID: 24414]

Holocaust Survivors tell their stories

The Future of Remembrance: Presentation of the European Holocaust Research Infrastructure

30.03.2015
This short film was premiered at the Presentation of the European Holocaust Research Infrastructure on 26 March 2015 in Berlin. During this presentation the EHRI online portal was launched. The EHRI portal gives access to dispersed Holocaust sources and is a growing resource. At the time of the launch it already provided access to rich information about more than 1,800 Holocaust-related archival institutions in 51 countries, and to descriptions of tens of thousands of archival materials. Please visit the portal for online searching and more info, https://portal.ehri-project.eu/.

A Glimpse of Jewish Life in Budapest Before the Holocaust By. Professor Rich Gair

While visiting the Holocaust Museum in Budapest, Hungary during July 2011 I shot this 5 min. plus clip. It shows various scenes of the once vibrant, cultured, happy life that Jews experienced on a daily basis. After the Shoah this vitality was replaced with death, destruction and just memories of what once was. A culture that lives on only through our memories, stories, pictures and remnants of it.
Zachor!!

The Lost Faces of Europe’s Jews

See the faces of Jewish families that once populated this continent before the Holocaust. Their’s was a rich and vibrant culture, lost to the world forever.

Why Should We Remember?

Holocaust Education Video – Overview of the Holocaust and its relevance in today’s world.

A History Of The Jews In England The Beginning of Persecution and the Organization of Jewry

10.01.2015
For the first time Crusading enthusiasm—hitherto at a low ebb—spread throughout England among all classes, from highest to lowest. It was inevitable that the feeling against the Jews was accentuated. The heavy exactions of the previous reign, of which they had been to some extent the instruments, were not forgotten, and there was little prospect that the policy of the government would change. Increasing numbers and prosperity were a prolific cause of jealousy. In 1179 Pope Alexander III had felt obliged to exhort the king to protect the monks of St. Augustine’s, Canterbury, in their business dealings with the Jews, which must have been of considerable volume.

Jews and Law in England 1190 1290

19.03.2015
A talk by Paul Brand (University of Oxford) on the English laws regulating Jewish communities before their expulsion in 1290. The talk took place on March 4, 2015 in the approach to the 800th anniversary Magna Carta.

Bukharian Jewish Cemetery Chigotay in Tashkent, May 2012

Jewish Cemetery in Wrocław 1856 (museum) Walking tour, The most beautiful I have ever seen

Established in 1856, this 4.6 hectare cemetery is perhaps the most well-preserved testament to the former strength of Breslau’s pre-war Jewish community, with over 1200 gravestones. Closed in 1942, the cemetery quickly fell into deep neglect: in 1945 it was turned into a fortress by the Nazis and saw fierce fighting as evidenced by the eerie bullet holes in many of the gravestones. Preservation began in the 1970s and in 1991 it was opened as the Museum of Jewish Cemetery Art in tribute to the craftsmanship of its sepulchral art. Indeed the beauty and diversity of styles and symbols on display is perhaps unmatched anywhere. Many noteworthy figures are buried here, including the renowned biologist Ferdinand Cohn, the historian Heinrich Graetz (author of the first complete history of the Jews), Clara Immerwahl (first female PhD student at the University of Breslau, and wife of Fritz Haber, who committed suicide in objection to her husband’s work developing chemical warfare), Ferdinand Lassalle (founder and leader of the first labour party in Germany, killed in a duel), and the parents of Edith Stein; using old records some of their tombstones are slowly being restored. However, despite these modest efforts the Ślężna Street Cemetery remains a completely mysterious and evocative sanctuary of decaying vine-covered monuments, the broken pieces of which are stacked against each other, giving shelter to stray cats and shade to wildflowers. Well worth a visit.